Possible bloat?

[Excript]

Hi all, I have a question regarding bloating. What are the usual symptoms when a bunny has bloat?

I came back from a holiday and i had someone to take care of my bunny but when I got home yesterday, I noticed my bunny stretching 5 times in 5 minutes. It’s not her usual stretch that I have Seen Everytime. The back legs are still firmly on the ground but only the front paws are stretched out and her dew lap pressed against the ground.

She would go to her potty and sit hunched Abit. She did not respond to her treats last night too. She usually eats Alot at night when I sleep but this morning when I checked on her she did not touch her hay which is worrisome. But an hour ago, she did eat some hay and poop a little. And also, when I tried rubbing her stomach last night she would push my hand away.

Is it signs of bloat? How can I tell?

Thanks

[jerseygirl]

The main sign is the stomach is ballooned out and quite hard. You’d also see them sitting hunched up, possibly grinding the teeth and breathing faster or having trouble breathing. The other thing is they’ll become quite cold. Bloat comes on very rapidly.

Because she’s done some stretching, and has just eaten a little, I don’t think you need to be worried about Bloat. It does sound as if she may have a bit of a gut slow down though and maybe some discomfort from gas. Is she moulting/ ingesting more fur lately? I guess it’s hard for you to gauge how she’s been if you were away. She might even be just a bit put out by that and giving you a bit of sass… It’s been known to happen!

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Thanks for ur reply Jersey girl,

I was away for ten days but when I got back she has Alot of loose fur on her and shes moulting. I can say she would have ingested her fur since the care taker did not remove the loose ones

[Azerane]

If you’re concerned that your rabbit has bloat or gas, one of the easiest and best things you can do at home is to administer some simethicone. It’s simply infant gas relief drops, there are many brands available but if you buy one, make sure it is unflavoured. It can be given with a plastic syringe into the mouth or added on top of a treat (if she’ll take one). You can give 1ml (of 20mg/ml strength, some brands are stronger so adjust accordingly) every hour for 3 hours, and then 1ml every 3-8 hours. Simethicone works by joining all the small gas bubbles together to help them for form bigger bubbles which are much easier for a rabbit to pass. On the chance that something else is wrong with your rabbit, simethicone will not harm her in any way.

Keep encouraging her to eat, mostly hay if you can even if you have to directly offer it to her. Try the treat test again every now and then, but of course don’t overdo it on treats if she’s still wolfing them down. The sitting poisition you describe reminds me of Bandit when he had GI Stasis, for me, it was very easy to tell as it was such a distinct thing. His back legs would still be tucked under his bumb, but his front legs would be pushed forward a little which curves down the back and makes it so that their belly presses on the floor more. So it sounds quite a bit like what you’re describing. I’ll try to find a photo in a minute because I’m sure I have one and it might be a good comparison. The stretching can also be a sign because they’re trying to get comfortable, and trying to shift things around. A gentle tummy massage might help, but not all rabbits will tolerate it.

[Azerane]

I found an image. Bandit didn’t have gas, but I can’t remember exactly what the problem was either. Still, his sitting position was always the same, and he was often a little restless. Getting up, sitting down, getting up to turn around, sitting down etc.

In the pic, he has his back legs tucked right up under his bum which pushes that up, and his front legs pushed out which results in the arching down of his back and his tummy being pressed to the floor. Now different rabbits may have different positions, but this position was always a 100% Bandit is in trouble position and I could always tell even from a glance.

[Excript]

Hi azerane. That’s exactly the position my bunny was doing for quite a number of times in 5 minutes.

Should. I still get simethicone for my bunny?
She pooped a little 2 hours ago. Tried feeding her hay by hand but she just bite it into half and drop it.

[Azerane]

I would recommend getting some. While it may not be needed, it could still help and then at least you’ll have some on hand in case it happens again. Gas can be quite painful which is possibly why she doesn’t feel like eating, so helping to relieve that pain by getting the bubbles passed can get her eating again.

[Bam]

Try and encourage her to move around too, physical activity helps the intestines move. I too would encourgage you to get baby gas drops. They are harmless and can be given on suspicion of gas, you can never really know if there is gas without an X-ray. So it’s often treated on suspicion. Hopefully your bun will soon fart! You most often can’t hear it, but sometimes you can smell it, it smells like cecals.

[Excript]

(gosh I’m lousy at linking pictures to forums, sorry) [Excript, I’ve fixed pic for you ~jerseygirl]

Found two unusual poop on her potty but she seems to be fine now. Been eating Alot of hay and I do not see her lying down in a position as the picture given by azerane (thank you azerane)

I heard farts every now and then but she still sit hunched sometimes.
I also noticed two pieces of poop tied together, I guess it’s her fur sticking on it.

Am glad to see her eating Alot now and thanks for all the replies by you awesome ppl

[Azerane]

It’s good to hear she’s improving. I agree with you, it looks like the top poop is strung through with fur which was the potential issue, the poop below that which is like a log is probably because her gut slowed down a little while it was trying to pass the hair, and then the others are just happy normal poops The poops tied together which you have described I’m assuming are the string of pearl poops link: http://www.bunnymama.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/fecalpoop3.jpg this is good and normal. It means that the gut is working at a normal pace and the fur is passing through well.

[Bam]

Try and brush off as much hair as you can, I lint-roll my bunnies when they shed. Lint-rolling has the added benefit of minimizing the amount of fluff flying around in the household too. Since they’re always grooming themselves they can ingest quite a lot of hair when they are shedding, and that’s best avoided.

I’m glad she has farted. It seems likely she had a bit of gut slow-down.

[Bunnisox]

My bunny just recently had a bit of a gut slow-down issue. Upon doing so much research on it, I found a video with Mary Cotter explaining a few methods of how to help w/ gas pain. If you haven’t seen it, I’d recommend giving it a watch. I never thought my bunny would let me do what she did in the video, but he did!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbyC6CWbm5M

I hope she’s feeling better!! <3

[Bam]

That Mary Cotter massage-video is great.

[Author]

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